Residents age 65 or older will need 44,000 of the new units, according to a new report released by AARP Hawai驶i, which also said the housing shortage is driving up prices and pushing younger residents to leave the state.

The 鈥淗ousing Needs Gap Analysis for the State of Hawai驶i鈥� 鈥� based on 2024 U.S. Census data 鈥� framed meeting the projected housing demand as a strategy to address long-term workforce and community health needs.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about k奴puna needing affordable housing. When a lack of affordable housing forces young working families to leave Hawai驶i, the impacts are felt across generations,鈥� Keali鈥榠 Lopez, state director of AARP Hawai驶i, said in a statement. 鈥淭he question becomes not only where our children and grandchildren will live, but who will care for our aging parents and grandparents if families can no longer afford to stay.鈥�

The report estimated future housing needs by income category and age bracket. For the aging population, some of whom may have limited financial resources, the report said meeting their needs will require 鈥減rioritizing homes that support aging in place and smaller households.鈥�

The proportion of the state鈥檚 population age 65 and older grew from 16% in 2016 to over 21% in 2024. A study from the University of Hawai驶i M膩noa鈥檚 Economic Research Organization that a quarter of the state鈥檚 residents will be 65 or older by 2035.

Those demographic changes mean that by 2035, 29% of new housing statewide will be needed for k奴puna aged 65 to 84, said the analysis, which was done by Econorthwest, a Portland, Oregon consulting firm. By 2050, those 85 and older will need 40% of the new housing.

To meet the housing needs of people 65 and older, just under a third of new units will need to be affordable for those earning less than $63,900, or 60% of the area median income, the report said.

Between 2014 and 2024, the state did add 43,000 new housing units, or an increase of 8%. However, over that period, the total number of new households grew more, by 9.5%.

The need for more housing is most pressing in the near future, the report said: About two-thirds of the additional 60,000 housing units will be needed by 2035 to meet demand.

The greatest total of units needed is in Honolulu 鈥� 48,299 units by 2050. However, Kaua驶i has the greatest need relative to its existing housing stock; the county needs 5,390 new housing units by 2050, an 18% increase over its current supply, the report said.

Forcing Younger Residents Out

The housing shortage is forcing residents aged 20 to 30 to move to the continent, the report said, echoing . Hawai驶i has the country鈥檚 third worst retention rate of that age bracket, the report said, behind only Alaska and Wyoming.

Citing U.S. Census data from 2023, the report said nearly half of those born in Hawai驶i who were then between 20 and 30 were living in other states.

Lena Staton, a Central Maui resident, saw her son move off island when he was 20. He went to Kentucky, where he could afford to buy land and build a home, things out of reach back home.

鈥淭hey built a house recently and they鈥檙e on 4 acres,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou know, in Kentucky, that鈥檚 nothing. But for an island boy coming from Hawai鈥榠, it鈥檚 like a dream.鈥�

He is unlikely to move back, Staton said.

Younger residents moving out of state leaves fewer people to take jobs caring for and serving elderly residents. And without more affordable housing, it is harder for those who have moved to return.

鈥淭his age group is a vital part of the workforce, and concerns arise about maintaining services and other sectors amid this decline,鈥� the report said.

Neighbor island residents increasingly have to travel to O驶ahu for specialized medical treatment , and the report said that trend 鈥渨ill continue without sufficient affordable housing for the working-age and younger-age cohorts, and without a workforce to support an aging population.鈥�

___

This story was originally published by and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.

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Coe’s wife, Kimberly Hastings Coe, confirmed his death to Rolling Stone on Wednesday.

She described him as one of the best singers and songwriters of our time.

鈥淢y husband, my friend, my confidant and my life for many years. I鈥檒l never forget him and I don鈥檛 want anyone else to ever forget him either,鈥� she wrote to the publication.

A statement from a Coe representative to People said he died around 5 p.m. Wednesday. The cause of death wasn’t disclosed.

Whether he was , Coe was clearly an outsider in Nashville’s music establishment, even throughout his successes as an in-demand songwriter and singer, eventually developing a core following around his raw, often obscene lyrics and a checkered and somewhat mysterious past.

His wife posted on Facebook in September 2021 that he had been hospitalized with COVID-19, and he made few appearances after that.

Coe toured over the years with Willie Nelson, Kid Rock, Neil Young and others. He wrote 鈥淭ake This Job and Shove It,鈥� a hit by Johnny Paycheck in 1977, and 鈥淲ould You Lay With Me (in a Field of Stone),鈥� a hit in 1974. He was also the first country singer to record 鈥淭ennessee Whiskey,鈥� penned by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, which has since become a genre standard and a hit for both George Jones and Chris Stapleton.

鈥淪pent so much time with David over the years, touring, writing songs and just hanging out,鈥� Kid Rock wrote Thursday on X. 鈥淚 knew a side of Dave most people never got to see. He was such a deep thinker, kind and about as real as an outlaw can get!鈥�

Coe’s own country hit recordings included 鈥淵ou Never Even Call Me by My Name,鈥� written by Steve Goodman and an ; 鈥淭he Ride,鈥� and 鈥淢ona Lisa Lost Her Smile.鈥� Coe also appeared in a handful of movies, including 鈥淪tagecoach鈥� and 鈥淭ake this Job and Shove It,鈥� which was named after his song.

Coe, born in Akron, Ohio, spent time in reformatories as a youngster and served time in an Ohio prison from 1963 to 1967 for possession of burglary tools. He also said he spent time with the Outlaws motorcycle club, but some tales about his prison time and his personal life have been wildly exaggerated over the years.

鈥淚鈥檇 have never made it through prison without my music,鈥� he said in a 1983 interview with The Associated Press. 鈥淣o one could take it (music) away from me. They could put me in the hole with nothing to do, but I could still make up a song in my head.鈥�

He recorded his first album, a blues album called 鈥淧enitentiary Blues,鈥� using songs he wrote in prison. He later told reporters that he tried not to lean too heavily on prison as a song topic because of similarities to Merle Haggard’s backstory, but that his criminal history was all people seemed interested in.

Coe recorded next for Columbia Records and made the album 鈥淭he Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy,鈥� which became his nickname after he performed in a rhinestone suit while wearing a mask.

During the outlaw movement heyday, Coe placed himself at the center of the scene with songs like 鈥淟onghaired Redneck,鈥� which featured lyrics about performing in dive bars, 鈥渨here bikers stare at cowboys who are laughing at the hippies who are praying they鈥檒l get out of here alive.鈥�

He was featured in the acclaimed documentary about the outlaw country movement called 鈥淗eartworn Highways,鈥� in which he performed a concert at a Tennessee prison.

Coe, himself heavily tattooed and sporting long hair, claimed a diverse fan base that included bikers, doctors, lawyers and bankers. His last record, released in 2006, was a collaboration with Dimebag Darrell and other former members of the .

He released two R-rated albums, 1978鈥瞫 鈥淣othing Sacred鈥� and 1982鈥瞫 鈥淯nderground Album,鈥� that he sold via biker magazines. The songs on these albums have been criticized for being racist, homophobic and sexually explicit. He told 鈥淏illboard鈥� magazine in 2001 that author and songwriter Shel Silverstein convinced him to record the songs he had written, something he had come to regret.

鈥淭hose were meant to be sung around the campfire for bikers, and I still don鈥檛 sing those songs in concert,鈥� he said.

David Wade, a friend who worked on several projects with Coe, said the singer wanted people to be talking about him.

鈥淗e always said any press is good press,鈥� said Wade, who runs music management company Neon Deuce.

They met in 1988 and Wade said he began working occasionally with Coe in 1996. Wade said a close family friend of Coe’s told him of the singer’s death.

鈥淚 learned a lot from David,鈥� Wade said of Coe. 鈥淗e was very complicated. I never found him to be racist. I never found him to be any of those things.鈥�

They collaborated on a documentary about Coe that鈥檚 still in the works, according to Wade who said he’s producing it along with actor Johnny Knoxville.

鈥淒avid did hours of interviews for it,鈥� Wade added. 鈥淚t all comes down to money and getting the rights and clearances and everything for the songs.鈥�

The documentary looks at Coe 鈥渂eing in prison, to being a biker gang member to being a songwriter,鈥� Wade said.

In 2016, Coe was ordered to pay the IRS in restitution for obstructing the tax agency and was sentenced to three years鈥� probation. Court documents say Coe earned income from at least 100 concerts yearly from 2008 through 2013 and either didn鈥檛 file individual income tax returns or pay taxes when he did file.

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Add into it that this weekend’s race is in Miami 鈥� traditionally one of the most-viewed of the season not only in the U.S. but worldwide 鈥� and hopes are high that casual viewers of the sport will be able to increase audiences.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a relaunch in a way. We鈥檙e treating it and we were treating it in a huge way anyway, and we鈥檝e kind of probably even done a little more, but we鈥檝e got a lot of things coming up for the race, so we鈥檙e very excited about it,鈥� said Eddy Cue, Apple鈥檚 senior vice president of services.

Apple reached a five-year deal with the global motorsports series last fall, averaging $150 million per year. ESPN, which had carried F1 races since 2018, paid nearly $90 million during a three-year extension signed in 2022.

Miami is the first race since the Japanese Grand Prix on March 29. The Iran war forced F1 to

Apple is showing the races in 4K Dolby Vision with immersive 5.1 surround sound. Viewers can watch up to four live feeds at once during practices, qualifying and races via multi-view displays. In addition to in-car cameras, there are timing and scoring channels.

Viewers can also choose either the commentary team from F1 TV or Sky Sports. ESPN used the Sky Sports feed when it aired the races.

鈥淚 think the first feedback that we鈥檝e gotten in general is how good the video quality is because we do Dolby Atmos and we do 4K and we really don鈥檛 compress at the levels that all of the others do. The first time you watch a race, you鈥檙e like, 鈥榃ow, this looks amazing.鈥� The video and sound quality is just really, really good,鈥� Cue said. “We鈥檝e had almost a third of the people that are watching the race are taking advantage of multiview, because we鈥檝e made it easy to do that where you can watch the key feed and watch your favorite cars.”

Apple TV is also adding two shows before and after race weekends.

鈥淐ircuits in Focus鈥� debuted on Thursday and features 2016 F1 champion Nico Rosberg and creator Emelia Hartford previewing the circuit where the race will be run heading into the weekend, including strategy and key areas of the track that could define the race. Rosberg and Hartford will use the EA Sports F1 25 video game to take viewers into the driver’s seat to show where there will be chances for drivers to overtake or defend their position.

鈥淧OV鈥� will take place after races. It features former Red Bull Racing senior technician Calum Nicholas as well as content creator and engineer Christina Roki as they react and analyze key points from the weekend from a technical point of view.

Apple is also adding an on-demand, 10-minute recap of qualifying to join its race reviews.

In addition to content in its sports app, Apple also offers detailed circuit layouts in its Maps app, driver-curated playlists in Apple Music, and content in Apple 草莓传媒 and podcasts.

Besides the content on Apple, Sunday’s race will be shown nationwide from 50 IMAX locations. The race will also be shown in Times Square in New York.

The Tubi streaming 鈥淭he Fast Lane: Miami鈥� altcast features YouTube influencers Michelle Khare and Jeremiah Burton along with F1 expert Scott Mansell.

Apple is not part of Nielsen鈥檚 ratings system, and the company has not released ratings on the first three races. It is expected to release its first set of viewer numbers in May.

___

AP auto racing:

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In a social media post, Trump said he would nominate Saphier, whom he called 鈥渁 STAR physician who has spent her career guiding women facing breast cancer through their diagnosis and treatment.鈥�

Saphier is a radiologist and director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth, according to her profile on the New York-based institution鈥檚 website. She has a doctor of medicine degree from Ross University School of Medicine in Barbados along with fellowships at the Mayo Clinic, the profile said.

The withdrawal came after between Means and lawmakers of both parties threw into question whether she could secure enough votes to advance out of the Senate health committee.

Her nomination had languished since her confirmation hearing in late February, even as activists from the Make America Healthy Again movement orchestrated a push to support her bid by surging phone calls to Republican senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine. They had both indicated reservations with the pick.

Means pitches ideas popular with MAHA

In nominating Means last May, Trump sought to hire a close ally of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the nation鈥檚 doctor. The 38-year-old Means, a Stanford-educated physician who became disillusioned with the health care system and pivoted to a career as an author and entrepreneur, popular with the MAHA movement, including that Americans are overmedicalized and that diet and lifestyle changes should be at the center of efforts to end widespread chronic disease.

But Means, who did not finish her surgical residency program and doesn鈥檛 currently have an active medical license, also had faced scrutiny for her lack of experience and . On top of those concerns, senators grilled her in February about Kennedy鈥檚 wide-ranging pullback of vaccine recommendations 鈥� leading to some contentious moments as Means toed the line between support for vaccines and calling them a decision best made by patients and their doctors.

In her confirmation hearing, Means was repeatedly asked about the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped recommending for all children late last year in a move . Means has raised doubts about the birth dose, posting on social media in 2024 that giving the vaccine to a newborn whose parents don鈥檛 have hepatitis B was 鈥渁bsolute insanity.鈥�

In another post earlier Thursday, Trump called Means 鈥渁 strong MAHA Warrior鈥� and also criticized the 鈥渋ntransigence and political games鈥� from GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who is facing a tough reelection this year and who interrogated Means about vaccines during the hearing.

Means’ brother, Calley Means, a health adviser to the Trump administration, blamed Cassidy in a social media post, claiming his 鈥渃onstant delay tactics鈥� sank the nomination. Cassidy didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Now Trump will try to fill the post a third time

Means is the second U.S. surgeon general pick whose nomination has been withdrawn in Trump鈥檚 second term. Trump withdrew his first nominee, Fox 草莓传媒 medical contributor Janette Nesheiwat, after questions were raised about her academic credentials.

In at least one case, Saphier has diverted from Trump鈥檚 medical messaging. Last year, as Trump advised pregnant women, 鈥淒on鈥檛 take Tylenol鈥� 鈥� promoting between the medication, vaccines and autism 鈥� Saphier said that while pregnant women generally are advised to take acetaminophen only under medical supervision, when necessary and at the lowest effective dose, equally important was that untreated fever or severe pain can also pose serious risks to mothers and babies. She noted that part was missing from Trump’s message.

鈥淔or decades, women have endured a paternalistic tone in medicine. We鈥檝e moved past dismissing symptoms as 鈥榟ysteria,鈥欌�� Saphier wrote in an email to The Associated Press at the time. 鈥淭he President鈥檚 recent comments on Tylenol in pregnancy are a prime example. Advising moderation was sound; delivering it in a patronizing, simplistic way was not.鈥�

Means and Saphier did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services referred inquiries to the White House.

___ Kinnard reported from Columbia, S.C.

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The decision, a striking reversal of the camp owners’ amid bitter opposition, follows weeks of testimony in court hearings and legislative investigations. Those hearings laid bare the camp鈥檚 lack of detailed planning for a flood emergency, reliance on poorly trained staff, and missed chances for an evacuation that came too late as floodwaters ripped through the camp.

The floods that devastated the Texas Hill Country camp claimed the lives of 25 campers and two teenage counselors. The camp鈥檚 owner, Dick Eastland, also died in the flooding.

鈥淣o administrative process or summer season should move forward while families continue to grieve, while investigations continue and while so many Texans still carry the pain of last July鈥檚 tragedy,鈥� Camp Mystic said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed Thursday that the camp withdrew its application.

The decision was praised by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who had while investigations were ongoing.

鈥淚 am thankful to hear that, today, the Eastland family withdrew their application,鈥� Patrick said in a statement. 鈥淕iven the tragic circumstances, this is the correct decision to protect Texas campers and to allow time for all investigations to be completed.鈥�

Edward Eastland, one of the camp directors and a member of the Eastland family that owns and has operated the 100-year-old camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River, offered a tearful public apology to the victims鈥� families on Tuesday.

鈥淲e tried our hardest that night. It wasn鈥檛 enough to save your daughters,鈥� Eastland said, with the victims’ families sitting behind him. 鈥淚鈥檓 so sorry.鈥�

All told, the destructive flooding killed at least 136 people along a several-mile stretch of the river, about how things went so terribly wrong.

Texas health regulators have said they are investigating hundreds of complaints against the camp’s owners. The Texas Rangers are also looking into allegations of neglect, according to the Texas Department of Safety, although the scope of the state鈥檚 elite investigations unit was not immediately clear.

The camp, established in 1926, did not evacuate and was hit hard when the river rose from 14 feet (4.2 meters) to 29.5 feet (9 meters) within 60 minutes.

___

Murphy reported from Oklahoma City.

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On Wednesday, County Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer and Vice Chair Monica Montgomery Steppe announced their proposal to spend up to $2.75 million dollars for arts programs the first year, with ongoing spending of $2.25 million for several arts programs to serve the 3.3 million people in San Diego County鈥檚 cities and unincorporated areas.

鈥淲e believe this will be transformative,鈥� Lawson-Remer said. 鈥淚t is the first time the county is stepping forward to provide public investment in arts and culture for the entire county.鈥�

The supervisors unveiled their plan at the San Diego County Administration Center at Waterfront Park, after children from the Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra played violin pieces and break dancers performed gymnastic moves.

The county arts program would include a $1 million grant program aimed at individual artists in areas with limited cultural resources. It would allocate $500,000 each to improve access to creative spaces and support an existing Black Arts and Culture District, located in nine blocks within the San Diego community of Encanto.

The plan would also set aside $250,000 each for binational arts and cultural collaboration in the San Diego-Baja region, and an artist-in-residence program to place local artists within county departments, where they would help devise creative solutions to public challenges.

鈥淭his means that communities where San Diegans have been underserved in, marginalized in the arts for too long, will have support and resources,鈥� Lawson-Remer said, speaking at a podium where someone had clipped a plush Mozart figure, a gift from the youth orchestra. 鈥淲e鈥檙e expanding opportunities for artists, increasing public access and cultural experiences and strengthening connections across our entire diverse, incredible region.鈥�

The five-member board of supervisors will vote on the proposal on Tuesday, May 5.

The proposed program has been in the works for a year, the supervisors said, but its rollout coincides with San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria鈥檚 plan to eliminate an $11.8 million art grant program and . Arts and culture advocates have opposed the proposed cuts, which would slash city arts funding by 85% and also reduce spending on libraries and recreation centers.

The county program isn鈥檛 a response to city budget cuts, Montgomery Steppe said, but she acknowledged the writing was on the wall as government agencies retreated from arts commitments.

The federal government under President Donald Trump鈥檚 administration last year revoked money that was previously awarded to local nonprofits through the National Endowment for the Arts. Artists are also 鈥減ushed to the margins鈥� by rising costs, limited access to capital, unstable income and lack of affordable work and living spaces, the supervisors stated in the staff report for the proposal.

鈥淪an Diego County鈥檚 arts and culture ecosystem is at a critical moment,鈥� Montgomery Steppe said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e all witnessed the resilience of our artists and cultural workers over the past years, as their livelihood has been challenged through pandemic shutdowns and shifting public priorities. But today, we are also facing a new challenge of society stepping back from its long-standing commitment to the arts.鈥�

Jared Osoria, a principal dancer with San Diego Ballet, said his organization lost $10,000 last year that the National Endowment for the Arts appropriated and then revoked. The county arts program could help the ballet company buy new audio visual equipment for rehearsal studios, cover other supplies and offer free ballet classes to students in San Ysidro and City Heights.

鈥淭his puts shoes on our dancers feet,鈥� Osoria said. 鈥淚t gives us a better budget for props for our main stage productions. It ensures that our Nutcracker continues year after year.鈥�

Alex Villafuerte, executive director of the Pacific Arts Movement, which produces the San Diego Asian Film Festival, said the federal endowment awarded his organization $25,000 last year, but then clawed back the money.

鈥淟ast year was the first year that it had been rescinded with no explanation and no chance for us to take a rebuttal or have them reconsider, and we assume it鈥檚 largely because of the executive orders around diversity,鈥� he said.

Then film festival sponsors reversed their grants, pulling another $50,000 after telling organizers that they were concerned the donations would run afoul of federal rules restricting diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Because of that, the organization brought in fewer filmmakers for its main festival and scaled back its spring showcase from seven to three days, Villafuerte said.

Ramel Wallace, founder and CEO of the organization the Holyfield, which supports storytelling, music and education, said the county鈥檚 contribution is a good start. But he said artist communities have to become more self-sufficient through grassroots financial structures such as rotating savings and credit associations, and savings circles that share capital among the members.

鈥淩ight now, people are going to have to create solidarity economics, microeconomics in our individual communities, because we can鈥檛 always look to the powers that be,鈥� he said.

Arts advocates dismissed the idea that art is a luxury, arguing that investing in the arts boosts community well-being, supports tourism and spurs economic development.

鈥淭he arts are not a luxury; they are a public good,鈥� said Gaidi Finnie, executive director of the San Diego African-American Museum of Fine Art. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e jobs, they鈥檙e small businesses, they鈥檙e education, they鈥檙e mental health.鈥�

___

This story was originally published by and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.

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For the first in almost five decades, there will be a former chair on the central bank’s board, potentially creating an alternate center of power. And on Wednesday multiple officials from the Fed’s statement, a sign they won’t easily roll over for a new chair who has sharply criticized recent policy. Outgoing chair Jerome Powell 鈥� who announced he will remain on the board of governors for a 鈥減eriod of time, to be determined鈥� 鈥� has also shown a new outspokenness since the White House launched an into a Fed building renovation.

Warsh 鈥渋s inheriting an institution that will fight for independent, consensus-driven decision-making, a potential obstacle to his vision of wholesale 鈥榬egime change,鈥欌�� said Jon Hilsenrath, a senior advisor to StoneX and visiting scholar at Duke University.

It’s all a sharp contrast to the previous three Fed chairs 鈥� Ben Bernanke, Janet Yellen, and Powell 鈥� who were all Fed governors before becoming chairs in relatively smooth transitions.

At a news conference Wednesday, Powell indirectly acknowledged the unusual nature of his decision, when asked how it would work to have a current and former chair on the board: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what the exact specifics of it will be,” he said.

He also said he would move to the background as a governor, yet his presence could make it a bit to cut the Fed’s short-term rate, as Trump has loudly demanded. While Powell is considered by economists to generally favor lowering rates, he said inflation is 鈥渕isbehaving鈥� and signaled it could be months before a cut is considered.

鈥淲e no longer anticipate a rate cut in December,鈥� said Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon, but expect the Fed to stay “on hold through the remainder of the year.鈥�

On Wednesday, Powell emphasized that he is staying at the Fed to protect its political independence from the White House’s legal attacks, rather than to push for any particular interest-rate policies.

鈥淭hese legal actions by the administration are unprecedented in our 113-year history,鈥� Powell said. 鈥淚 worry that these attacks are battering the institution and putting at risk the thing that really matters to the public, which is the ability to conduct monetary policy without taking into consideration political factors.鈥�

Trump has Fed governor Lisa Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud, which she has denied, in what has become a test case regarding how much power the White House has to remove Fed governors. Should Trump succeed in firing Cook, he would be able to fill her seat and have much more sway over the central bank’s interest rate decisions.

Three of the seven governors are already Trump appointees. So far, courts have allowed Cook to remain in her position and the Supreme Court in January .

By staying on as governor, Powell will also deny Trump an opportunity to appoint a new governor. The president won’t have another shot at filling a seat on the Fed’s board until Powell leaves. While his term as chair ends May 15, he can serve as a governor until January 2028.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday criticized Powell’s decision on Fox Business, calling it 鈥渉ighly unusual鈥� and 鈥渁 violation of all Federal Reserve norms.鈥�

Powell, however, rejected that his decision has injected politics into the Fed.

鈥淚鈥檓 literally staying because of the actions that have been taken,鈥� he said Wednesday. 鈥淚 had long planned to be retiring and the things that have happened really in the last three months have left me no choice but to stay.鈥�

Still, Powell said he planned to keep a 鈥渓ow profile鈥� in his remaining time on the board, and would not be a 鈥渟hadow chair鈥�: “That’s just something I would never do. There is only ever one chair of the Federal Reserve board. When Kevin Warsh is confirmed and sworn in, he will be that chair.鈥�

The Senate is likely to confirm Warsh on a narrow, party-line vote the week of May 11. In a sign of the increasing politicization of the Fed, when Powell was confirmed for a second four-year term in 2022, the Senate vote was 80-19 in favor.

Warsh told a congressional committee that he would be an independent chair, but Trump has continued to say he expects his choice to reduce the Fed’s key rate.

Yet on Wednesday Powell said the 鈥渃enter鈥� of the committee was moving away from a bias toward cutting rates toward a more neutral stance. Three policymakers dissented from Wednesday’s statement because they wanted to make that shift more explicit. A fourth official, Stephen Miran, voted to cut rates immediately, but he will be replaced by Warsh.

The four dissenting votes were the most since October 1992.

“A 34-year high in dissents is not exactly the welcome mat Mr. Warsh was hoping to see upon his arrival,” Stephen Douglass, chief economist at NISA Investment Advisors, said in a note to clients. 鈥淗e might want to wear a hard hat at his first meeting, and not only because the (Fed building) is still under construction.鈥�

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James Broadnax was sentenced to death for the 2008 shooting deaths of two men outside a suburban Dallas music studio. Prosecutors say Broadnax and his cousin, Demarius Cummings, fatally shot and robbed Stephen Swan and Matthew Butler in the parking lot of Butler鈥檚 recording studio in Garland. Cummings was sentenced to life without parole.

Prosecutors say Broadnax, 37, confessed to the shooting, telling reporters during jailhouse interviews that 鈥淚 pulled the trigger鈥� and that he had no remorse.

Broadnax was scheduled to receive a lethal injection after 6 p.m. CDT at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) north of Houston.

About five hours before the scheduled execution, the U.S. Supreme Court issued brief orders rejecting Ricks鈥� final appeals to block the execution. No reason was given for the rejection. Broadnax’s attorneys have also asked Gov. Greg Abbott to issue a one-time 30-day reprieve. But in his more than 11 years as governor, Abbott has halted only one imminent execution.

His lawyers had focused his final appeals on two issues: Cummings has recently confessed to being the shooter; and Broadnax鈥檚 constitutional rights were violated because prosecutors eliminated potential jurors during his trial on the basis of race.

鈥淚鈥檓 really gonna tell it like it鈥檚 supposed to be told, that it was me, that I was the killer. I shot Matthew Bullard, Steve Swann,鈥� Cummings said recently from prison in a video created as part of the efforts to stop Broadnax鈥檚 execution.

Broadnax鈥檚 attorneys say in filings with the high court that Cummings鈥� confession is 鈥渃orroborated by the fact that his DNA, and not Mr. Broadnax鈥檚, was found on the murder weapon and in the pocket of one of the victims.鈥�

In the video, Broadnax said his confession was false as at the time he didn鈥檛 care about his life. Broadnax鈥檚 lawyers say he was under the influence of drugs during the television interviews.

He also apologized to the families of Butler and Swan for taking part in the robbery.

鈥淚 wish I could show them my soul, so they could see just how sorry I am. I am very much remorseful for everything that happened,鈥� Broadnax said.

His attorneys also allege prosecutors dismissed all seven potential Black jurors on the basis of their race, 鈥渦tilizing a spreadsheet during jury selection that bolded only the names of every Black juror,鈥� according to court documents. One Black juror was later reinstated to the jury. Broadnax is Black.

In a 1986 ruling known as , the U.S. Supreme Court determined that excluding jurors because of their race violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Broadnax鈥檚 attorneys had argued in an earlier appeal that prosecutors had violated his constitutional rights by using some of the rap lyrics he wrote to portray him as a violent and dangerous person in order to secure a death sentence. A number of A-list rappers, including and , had filed briefs at the Supreme Court in support of Broadnax鈥檚 appeal.

But the high court rejected that appeal as well as another that focused on how forensic evidence was presented at his trial.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on Tuesday denied Broadnax鈥檚 request for a 180-day reprieve or to commute his death sentence.

The Texas Attorney General鈥檚 Office has described Cummings鈥� confession as the shooter as 鈥渜uestionable new evidence.鈥� It also said in court documents that Broadnax鈥檚 claims that potential Black jurors were targeted for removal are 鈥渆ntirely meritless鈥� as these jurors were stricken not because of race but because of their answers during questioning, including that some opposed the death penalty.

Theresa Butler, Matthew Butler鈥檚 mother, has asked that the execution proceed.

鈥淭his so called confession from cummings is just a stall tactic by broadnax鈥檚 desperate defense team. Its all a lie,鈥� Butler wrote in a post on social media.

If the execution is carried out, Broadnax would be the third person put to death this year in Texas, which has historically held more executions than any other state.

About an hour before Broadnax’s scheduled execution on Thursday, Florida James Ernest Hitchcock, 70, for beating and choking his 13-year-old step-niece to death.

___

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Staff and players have been aware for the last two weeks the Public Investment Fund was only going to support LIV Golf through the end of this year. LIV responded with a new board and a plan to diversify into an investment model with hopes of finding long-term partners.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the PIF governor who was behind the creation of LIV Golf, is no longer listed as chairman of LIV Golf amid reports he has resigned from that role.

鈥淧IF has made the decision to fund LIV Golf only for the remainder of the 2026 season,鈥� PIF said in a statement. 鈥淭he substantial investment required by LIV Golf over a longer term is no longer consistent with the current phase of PIF’s investment strategy.鈥�

The newsletter 鈥淢oney in Sports鈥� reported earlier this year since it began in 2022, a figure likely to exceed $6 billion by the end of the year. LIV Golf spent about $1 billion in luring top names away from the PGA Tour when it launched 鈥� Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, among them.

Prize money was increased this year to $30 million at each event.

PIF two weeks ago revealed a new five-year investment strategy geared toward 鈥渟ustained value creation, with a strengthened focus on maximizing impact, raising the efficiency of investments, and applying the highest standards of governance, transparency and institutional excellence.”

LIV Golf, which announced this week it has postponed its Louisiana tournament from late June until the fall, is scheduled to play May 7-10 in northern Virginia.

The new LIV Golf board

Gene Davis of Pirinate Consulting Group and Jon Zinman of the strategic advisory firm JZ Advisors are leading with Davis as chairman. The focus is on securing long-term financial partners.

LIV Golf has said it expects 10 of its 13 teams to be profitable this year, and it has five title sponsors of tournaments this year after not having any the previous three years.

鈥淭he executive leadership team, along with Jon and I, see a clear opportunity to help the league formalize its structure, attract and secure long-term capital, and position the business for growth while continuing to promote the game across the world,鈥� Davis said in a statement. “We look forward to positioning LIV Golf for future success.鈥�

Scott O’Neil, the CEO at LIV Golf, had told Britain-based TNT two weeks ago during the Mexico event: 鈥淭he reality is that you鈥檙e funded through the season, and then you work like crazy as a business to create a business and a business plan to keep us going.鈥�

That raised questions whether LIV Golf could keep some of its top players once their lucrative contracts expired.

Future of LIV Golf players

Koepka left LIV after last season and the PGA Tour granted him a path back with stipulations that included no access to equity grants for five years, a $5 million charity donation and no bonus money this year.

The tour offered it to three other LIV players who had won majors since 2022 鈥� Rahm, DeChambeau and Cameron Smith 鈥� and gave them a Feb. 4 deadline to accept. None did.

In an interview earlier this week with The Wall Street Journal, PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said: 鈥淲e鈥檙e interested in having the best players who can help our tour. Not every player can do that.鈥�

Patrick Reed, a former Masters champion and three-time Ryder Cup player, chose not to renew his LIV contract and is playing a European tour schedule. He is all but certain to finish on a points list that will get him PGA Tour membership.

Unclear is the path back for anyone else from LIV Golf who would want to return. DeChambeau and Rahm 鈥� both multiple major champions 鈥� are considered LIV鈥檚 top two players.

DeChambeau said in an interview with the Flushing It social media site last week that 鈥渁s long as LIV is here, I would figure out a way for it to make sense.鈥�

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of moving parts like in any business,鈥� DeChambeau said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a startup, right? And so there鈥檚 going to be times where we鈥檙e squeezed and punched. This is one of those moments. But I鈥檓 going to do everything in my power to make it work and I really see the value in franchise golf.鈥�

The loss of Al-Rumayyan from LIV Golf

Al-Rumayyan leaving his post as LIV Golf chairman costs the players their biggest ally. Many referred to him simply as 鈥淗.E.鈥� (His Excellency). He is passionate about golf and long wanted a seat at the table with the sport’s leadership.

Al-Rumayyan signed a framework agreement in June 2023 intended to unify the commercial assets of golf. Under the agreement with the PGA Tour and European tour, he was set to join the PGA Tour Enterprises board if it was approved.

The deal never materialized, except for ending antitrust lawsuits. PGA Tour Enterprises instead got a minority investment from a consortium of North American sports owners.

Al-Rumayyan was at the White House in February 2025 to meet with President Donald Trump along with a PGA Tour team that included Tiger Woods, Adam Scott and Commissioner Jay Monahan. But it was clear LIV and the PGA Tour could not find common ground, mainly because the Saudi league wanted to stick with a team component.

Al-Rumayyan was all about team golf when he and former CEO Greg Norman launched the league, even though the team concept was one reason it took more than three years for LIV to get recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking.

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AP golf:

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Rashaad Muhammad was arrested in August and taken to the Fulton County Jail, where medical staff failed to provide antibiotics and other medical supplies he repeatedly told them he needed, his lawyers said. Less than two weeks later, his condition had deteriorated to the point that he could no longer stand and he was taken to a hospital, where he was ultimately told the amputations were necessary to save his life.

鈥淚’m not OK. Every day is a battle. It’s a struggle,鈥� Muhammad, who now uses a wheelchair, said during a news conference outside the jail after he and his lawyers met with Sheriff Pat Labat.

鈥淚t was coming back to a nightmare that you pray every day isn’t real,鈥� prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who’s representing Muhammad, said of Wednesday’s meeting with the sheriff at the jail. The treatment Muhammad received was 鈥渢he very definition of deliberate indifference,鈥� Crump said.

The Fulton County Jail has a long history of problems, which led the U.S. Department of Justice to initiate a into jail conditions in July 2023. Among other problems, the prisoners were held in filthy and unsafe conditions that violated their constitutional rights.

The Justice Department and county officials in January 2025 that they had entered into a . An independent monitor has been visiting the county’s jails and documenting the issues and any progress in fixing them.

Crump said the Fulton County Board of Commissioners bears a huge part of the blame for what happened to Muhammad because commissioners were aware of the problems but failed to act. He said the county needs a new jail, which Labat has pushed for.

The board of commissioners earlier this month voted to borrow up to $1.3 billion for jail improvements, including a new special purpose facility and renovations at the existing main jail.

Crump also faulted the jail’s medical provider, NaphCare, saying that its employees, along with jail guards, ignored Muhammad’s pleas for help. NaphCare should not still be providing medical services at the jail after another man held at the jail, , died in a bedbug-infested cell in September 2022, said Crump, who also represented Thompson’s family.

The company said Thursday in an emailed statement that it is 鈥渟addened鈥� by what Muhammad experienced but stands behind the treatment provided.

鈥淭his involved a medically complex patient, and we believe our staff acted appropriately and did everything within their power to provide care and support under difficult circumstances,鈥� the NaphCare statement said.

The sheriff’s office said it could not comment on Muhammad’s medical condition or specific treatment because of privacy laws but said that during his time at the jail, 鈥渉e was under the medical care of NaphCare.鈥� A county spokesperson declined to comment.

Muhammad said his meeting with the sheriff 鈥渨as productive but it’s not enough.鈥�

Crump said he and the rest of Muhammad’s legal team are gathering details and exploring 鈥渆very possible legal remedy鈥� to secure justice for Muhammad and to hold those responsible for what happened to him accountable.

Muhammad uses a catheter for a chronic bladder condition that makes him very susceptible to infection, and he has to carry necessary antibiotics and other medical supplies, said Liza Park, one of his attorneys.

Muhammad was arrested after being involved in a shooting on Aug. 11 and calling 911, Park said. When police arrived they ended up arresting him on aggravated assault and gun possession charges, online jail records show. He told the police as he was being arrested that he needed the antibiotics and medical supplies that were in his car, Park said.

He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital for a check and then taken to the jail where he told medical staff that he needed antibiotics and other supplies. As his condition deteriorated, other prisoners also pleaded with jail and medical staff to help him, his lawyers said.

He was in 鈥渟evere medical distress鈥� when he taken back to the hospital on Aug. 22, Crump said. After awakening from a coma a couple of weeks later, his hands and legs had become so infected that doctors told him it was a matter of 鈥渓ife over limbs,” and that his fingers and lower legs would have to be amputated, Crump said.

Muhammad spent months in the hospital and had multiple surgeries. While he was in the hospital, the criminal charges against him were dropped, Park said.

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The soldiers are members of the 10th Infantry Battalion Guard Security Corps National Reserve on a weekend exercise to hone their skills as the Netherlands bolsters its military with new recruits and volunteers. The Dutch government and top brass have committed to raising military personnel from 80,000 to 120,000 by 2035 鈥� plans that have broad political support.

The recent enlistment by the country’s queen and her eldest daughter as reservists look to be helping, with authorities now scrambling to arm and train new recruits.

The recruitment drive in the Netherlands reflects moves across Europe to expand and modernize militaries as leaders warily eye the grinding war launched by and expressed by U.S. President with the that has been the cornerstone of the defense and security architecture of the continent since World War II laid ruin to much of it.

Trump on Wednesday suggested that he could soon as he continues to feud with over the .

A corporal in the Dutch reserve battalion, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the nature of her service, said that she’s seen a shift in priorities as the global security outlook has become more volatile and less predictable.

鈥淲hen I first joined, there was almost no risk or almost no threat … and now it鈥檚 changing so we are more aware of it,” she said. That has meant a mindset shift toward 鈥渕ore what we call 鈥榞reen things,鈥� infantry things.鈥�

She added: 鈥淲e are here to defend our country and to make sure to keep the threat down.鈥�

The threat is very real, according to European Union and NATO officials, who believe Russian President Vladimir Putin could be ready to launch an attack elsewhere in Europe in three to five years, especially if he wins the war in Ukraine.

New NATO plans aimed at countering that threat require allies to prepare their armies for big battles, focused on more mobile forces that can be quickly deployed.

Getting the House of Orange into military green

Dutch recruitment got a significant boost when Queen Maxima and her eldest daughter and heir to the throne Amalia, Princess of Orange, enlisted as volunteer reservists. Photos of Maxima in training and aiming a pistol on a shooting range were published around the world.

That royal seal of approval, together with recruiting campaigns running everywhere from newspapers and billboards to social media, has proved so successful that the military is now working overtime to arm, train and accommodate all the newcomers.

At the Defense Ministry, it’s known as 鈥渢he Amalia effect.鈥�

鈥淚t’s really a thing, yes,鈥� State Secretary for Defense Derk Boswijk told The Associated Press. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very inspiring to see how members of our royal family inspired people to join our armed forces.鈥�

Boswijk said that there are about 9,000 reservists in the Netherlands, and recruiters aim to have at least 20,000 in 2030.

鈥淲e have more applications than we can handle,鈥� Boswijk said. Now the military has to battle 鈥渁 lack of training capacity, a lack of housing. You have to give them all uniforms, you have to give them weapons.鈥�

But, he said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a luxury problem.鈥�

Other nations boost recruitment

German lawmakers are considering a government plan to offer better pay and conditions for people who join up on a short-term basis, along with better training and more flexibility on how long recruits must serve.

The aim is to draw sufficient recruits without reviving conscription, which was suspended for men in 2011. The plan leaves the door open for limited compulsory recruitment, if not enough people volunteer.

Like the Netherlands, France is leaning into voluntary service to boost the military. A program starting in September seeks to recruit 3,000 volunteers from ages 18-25. They will serve in uniform for 10 months in France鈥檚 mainland and overseas territories only. The plan seeks to attract up to 50,000 volunteers per year by 2035.

In northern and eastern Europe, where the threat from Russia is felt most keenly, some nations still have some conscription.

Finland has a draft for all males and a voluntary system for women. Sweden reinstated a gender-neutral partial military service in 2017. If not enough people volunteer, to select people for the remaining slots. Neighboring Denmark has a similar system, as does Latvia since it revived its draft in 2023 in response to Russia鈥檚 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Netherlands never fully abolished its draft, but call-ups have been suspended since 1997 and there are no immediate plans to reintroduce them. Instead, the Defense Ministry is seeking to make the military more attractive to a broad cross section of society.

Threats have expanded from traditional battlefields into cyberspace and the digital world, he said, 鈥渟o we need all kind of skills, to keep our society, our country, our allies safe. So, yes, we need also people wearing hoodies, having blue hair, who can game perfectly.鈥�

Motivated by Dutch history and modern instability

For some among the new generation of answering their country’s call to arms, a bitter lesson from Dutch history is motivating them.

“When I was in primary school, we were taught that in the Second World War it took (German forces) five days to take over Holland,” Lisette den Heijer said at a recent information evening run by the Dutch military for reservist volunteers, adding that she doesn’t want history to repeat itself.

At the exercise in the eastern Netherlands, a private first class in the reserve battalion who also spoke on condition of anonymity, because he works for a defense-related company, said he too has seen a shift in recent years.

鈥淪o where we were just focused on peaceful operations in 2018, we鈥檙e now more focusing on protecting vital infrastructure,鈥� he said. That included duty in the massive security operation to guard last year鈥檚 NATO summit in The Hague.

A weekend mission accomplished

Reservists in the Netherlands commit to 300 hours of service each year, including regular weekend exercises. Traditionally, they are deployed to secure and guard domestic sites and aren’t sent to combat missions overseas. They also can be used in national emergencies, such as piling up sandbags in cases of severe flooding.

Back in the forests of the eastern Netherlands, the reservists suddenly stop and point their weapons at an innocent looking mound of earth covered in dry leaves and wood.

A soldier 鈥� a member of their unit 鈥� crawls out of the foxhole where he was hiding and surrenders. The volunteers exchange high-fives before preparing to break down their camp and return to their day jobs.

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Associated Press reporters across Europe contributed to this report.

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At Caja Magica

Madrid

Purse: 鈧�8,235,540

Surface: Red clay

MADRID (AP) _ Results Thursday from Mutua Madrid Open at Caja Magica (seedings in parentheses):

Men’s Singles

Quarterfinals

Alexander Blockx, Belgium, def. Casper Ruud (12), Norway, 6-4, 6-4.

Women’s Singles

Semifinals

Mirra Andreeva (9), Russia, def. Hailey Baptiste (30), United States, 6-4, 7-6 (8).

Men’s Doubles

Quarterfinals

Harri Heliovaara, Finland, and Henry Patten (3), Britain, def. Mate Pavic, Croatia, and Marcelo Arevalo (5), El Salvador, 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Luke Johnson, Britain, and Jan Zielinski, Poland, def. Fabien Reboul and Sadio Doumbia, France, 4-6, 6-3, 10-6.

Guido Andreozzi, Argentina, and Manuel Guinard, France, def. Romain Arneodo and Valentin Vacherot, Monaco, 6-4, 3-6, 10-6.

Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, Argentina, def. Evan King, United States, and Andre Goransson, Sweden, 7-6 (6), 6-2.

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Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill, both Republicans, said in a joint statement that Wednesday鈥檚 high court ruling effectively prohibits the state from carrying out the primaries under the current districts. Early voting had been scheduled to begin Saturday in advance of the May 16 primary.

鈥淭he State is currently enjoined from carrying out congressional elections under the current map,” Landry and Murrill said in the statement posted to social media. 鈥淲e are working together with the Legislature and the Secretary of State鈥檚 office to develop a path forward.鈥�

That path is likely to lead to a new U.S. House map benefitting Republican candidates in Louisiana.

President Donald Trump, in a series of social media posts Thursday, praised Landry for moving quickly to revise the state’s congressional districts and urged Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to do likewise in light of the Supreme Court’s decision.

While civil rights activists denounced the potential for in Congress, top Republicans cited the Supreme Court’s decision as justification to spur an already intense among states before the November elections.

鈥淚 think all states who have unconstitutional maps should look at that very carefully, and I think they should do it before the midterm,鈥� House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters in Washington.

Questions persist about election postponement

Louisiana’s election suspension was denounced by some Democrats and questioned by some legal experts.

鈥淭his is going to cause mass confusion among voters — Democrats, Republicans, white, Black, everybody,鈥� said Louisiana state Sen. Royce Duplessis, a Democrat who represents the New Orleans area. 鈥淲hat they鈥檙e effectively doing is changing the rules of the game in the middle of the game. It鈥檚 rigging the system.鈥�

While Louisiana officials may legally be able to move the primary, it’s not accurate to assert that it was blocked by the Supreme Court’s decision, said Ruth Greenwood, director of the Election Law Clinic at Harvard Law School.

State Rep. Kyle Green, a former assistant state attorney general who is chair of the House Democratic caucus, also cast doubt on the legal justification for postponing the congressional primary.

鈥淭he Court鈥檚 decision does not halt the election process on its own,鈥� Green said. 鈥淎nd any attempt to suspend or disrupt an ongoing election at this stage would raise serious constitutional concerns.鈥�

Delaying an election is unusual but not unprecedented.

During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, several states pushed back elections because of health concerns. Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards, who led Louisiana at the time, postponed Louisiana鈥檚 April 4 presidential primary three weeks before it was supposed to occur 鈥� then delayed it again until July 11.

Louisiana could join a national redistricting wave

Louisiana currently is represented in the U.S. House by four Republicans and two Democrats. A revised map could give Republicans a chance to pick up at least one more seat in the November midterms 鈥� adding to Republican gains elsewhere from redistricting.

Voting districts typically are redrawn once a decade, after each census. But Trump last year to redraw House districts to give the GOP an edge in the midterms. California Democrats reciprocated, and redistricting efforts soon cascaded across states.

On Wednesday, to redraw its U.S. House districts, adopting a new map backed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis that could give the GOP a chance at winning several additional seats.

The Florida vote occurred just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority issued a ruling that significantly weakened minority protections under the federal Voting Rights Act. The court said Louisiana officials had relied too heavily on race when drawing a congressional district that is represented by .

Trump wants Tennessee to also take up redistricting in response to the court’s ruling. The president posted on social media that he had spoken with Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who he said would work hard for a new map that could help Republicans gain an additional seat. Democrats currently hold only one of the state’s nine House seats 鈥� a district centered in Memphis, which is majority Black.

Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, a Republican, said he is in conversations with the White House and others while reviewing the court’s decision.

Louisiana has a history of redistricting challenges

After the 2020 census, Louisiana officials had drawn House voting district boundaries that and five mostly white districts, in a state with a population that is about one-third Black.

A federal judge later for violating the Voting Rights Act. And the following year that Alabama had to create its own second majority Black congressional district.

In response, Louisiana鈥檚 legislature and governor in 2024 that created a second Black majority district. But that map also was subsequently challenged in court, leading to the most recent Supreme Court ruling.

After the ruling, Landry called U.S. House candidates on Wednesday and told them that primaries would most likely be stalled, according to Misti Cordell, a Republican running in a crowded race to fill U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow鈥檚 vacated seat.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an inconvenience for a candidate for sure, but you know they want to do it right versus having to go through all this again,鈥� Cordell said. She added that she appreciated the heads up before she and other candidates began 鈥渟pending their war chest鈥� during the final weeks leading up to Election Day.

Republican state lawmakers are reviewing which pending bills could be used to alter primaries and reconfigure congressional maps, said Louisiana state Rep. Beau Beaullieu, chair of the House committee overseeing redistricting efforts.

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Brook reported from New Orleans and Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri. AP reporter Travis Loller contributed from Nashville.

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Myanmar鈥檚 military information office confirmed the news through a text message to the press. Accompanying the announcement was a photo of the 80-year-old leader dressed in a traditional white blouse and skirt. She is seen sitting on a wooden bench, behind a low table facing two unidentified men, one in a police uniform and the other wearing another kind of uniform. The photo was also displayed on the TV broadcast, but it is not clear when or where it was taken.

Suu Kyi has been in detention since Feb. 1, 2021, when the army seized power from her elected government. She has not been seen publicly since then, and the last official photo showing her was released on May 24, 2021, showing her in court.

Earlier Thursday, authorities had announced her prison sentence was being reduced as part of a prisoner amnesty marking a Buddhist religious holiday, the Full Moon day of 鈥淜ason,鈥� known as Buddha鈥檚 Birthday and Demise. It covered 1,519 prisoners, including 11 foreigners, with the sentences of convicts remaining in prison cut by one-sixth.

Suu Kyi was originally for several offenses that her supporters and rights groups described as attempts to discredit her and legitimize the army takeover that removed her from office, as well as to prevent her return to politics.

Thursday’s amnesty, the second applied to her in recent weeks, would bring her sentence down to 18 years, with more than 13 years left to serve according to the calculation.

The message announcing her transfer says she was moved from the main prison in Myanmar鈥檚 capital Naypyitaw to house arrest, with the action 鈥渕ade to celebrate Buddha Day, to show humanitarian concern, and to demonstrate the kindness of the state.鈥�

It does not specify her exact location but says that according to the law on designating a place of imprisonment 鈥渟he will now serve the remainder of her sentence at a specific home instead of in prison.鈥�

The amnesties come after Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing was as president on April 10 following an election that critics say was neither free nor fair and was orchestrated to maintain the .

In his inauguration speech, he said his government would grant amnesties aimed at promoting social reconciliation, justice and peace. Actions including the amnesties and Suu Kyi’s transfer are widely seen as an effort to burnish his image.

U.N. Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres appreciates Suu Kyi鈥檚 movement from prison to house arrest, calling it 鈥渁 meaningful step toward conditions conducive to a credible political process,鈥� his spokesperson said Thursday.

The U.N. chief reiterates his call for the swift release of all political prisoners, U.N. spokesman St茅phane Dujarric said, stressing that this is 鈥渁 fundamental step鈥� toward a political process and solution that 鈥渕ust be based on an immediate cessation of violence and a genuine commitment to inclusive dialogue.鈥�

Information about Suu Kyi’s condition has been tightly controlled. Reports in 2024 and 2025 indicated declining health, including low blood pressure, dizziness and heart problems, but these claims could not be independently verified. Her legal team was allowed to meet her in person after December 2022.

Kim Aris, her younger son living in London, and Myanmar democracy activists launched an international online campaign named 鈥淧roof of Life鈥� to demand for evidence that she is still alive and well-being, following the last mass amnesty on April 17.

The 2021 army takeover triggered massive public resistance that was brutally suppressed, triggering that has killed thousands of people.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights monitoring organization, 22,047 people had been detained for political reasons since the army takeover.

Suu Kyi, the daughter of Myanmar鈥檚 , spent almost 15 years as a political prisoner under house arrest between 1989 and 2010.

Her tough stand against military rule in Myanmar turned her into a symbol of nonviolent struggle for democracy, and won her the .

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Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

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鈥淏eing on the ground is essential. It allows journalists to question official accounts on all sides, to speak directly with civilians and report back what they witness firsthand,鈥� said the statement from the executives, released Thursday. 鈥淭hat is why news organizations send their reporters into the field, often at great personal risk.鈥�

From the AP and the BBC and Sky 草莓传媒 to CNN to MS NOW, from Reuters to German news agency dpa to The New York Times and The Washington Post, the top editors of more than two dozen organizations said the Israeli government has so far not responded to their efforts to discuss the situation. They questioned the country’s rationales for why the restrictions are still in place.

The letter was released at 5 a.m. ET by the local foreign press association.

Israel had said ban was necessary

Initially, Israel said the ban was necessary because foreign journalists allowed into Gaza could give away the positions of Israeli soldiers and endanger them. Other rationales have included that as an active battle zone, it was too dangerous. The army has occasionally brought foreign reporters in on highly controlled trips, but media outlets want independent access.

An email seeking comment was sent to New York-based representatives of the Israeli government. There was no immediate response.

Currently, 鈥渢he heaviest fighting is over and there is a ceasefire in place,” the editors’ statement said. “The hostages have come home. Journalists do not pose a threat to Israeli troops. There is a mechanism in place鈥攈owever restrictive鈥攖hat allows aid workers to enter and exit the territory. Why not journalists?鈥�

There have been attempts at legal action to force the issue. The Foreign Press Association, which represents international media in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, has on a petition for independent access to Gaza. That action was filed in 2024, but a ruling has been repeatedly delayed, most recently in January.

With foreign journalists kept out of Gaza, coverage of the conditions on the ground there has been possible only for local Palestinian journalists. While covering war would be fraught for any reporter, the Palestinian correspondents 鈥� their homes destroyed, their loved ones killed.

Gaza-based reporters face big risks

When access to food became severely restricted last year they also had to deal with hunger, to the point that the Agence France-Presse news agency in July . That concern was echoed by the AP and Reuters for the reporters in Gaza they work with.

The editors raised that point in the statement Thursday, saying 鈥渢his has pushed the responsibility for covering this devastating war and its aftermath almost entirely on our Palestinian colleagues … They should not have to shoulder this burden alone, and they should be protected.鈥�

Their lives have also been put at risk from military actions. Well over 200 journalists and media workers have been killed according to a tally from the Committee to Protect Journalists organization, far more than in conflicts elsewhere like the Russia-Ukraine war.

Among them was who worked as a freelancer for the AP and other news organizations. She and four other journalists, including Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri and Moaz Abu Taha, a freelance journalist who worked with Reuters, were among those killed last August in an Israeli strike on a medical facility.

The raised questions about the rationale used by the Israeli government to carry out the action against the hospital, which was known as a place where journalists gathered. AP and Reuters later to explain what took place and what steps would be taken to protect reporters. The Israeli military says it is still investigating.

The statement from the editors on Thursday came during Press Freedom Week, which they noted. 鈥淔reedom of the press is a basic value in any open society. It is time for the delays to end. Let us into Gaza.鈥�

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